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Aromatherapy for Treatment of Anxiety and Stress:
Chronic anxiety can contribute to many health problems, but aromatherapy has a quick and simple method for reducing it, according to aromatherapist Valerie Ann Worwood in her new guide, The Fragrant Mind. Aromatherapy works with the essential oils of plants, prepared in any of the following ways, says Worwood: blend with 1 ounce of base oil to make a massage oil; add to bath water; gently heat in a room diffuser; or inhale from a tissue.
- Tense Anxiety—Symptoms include bodily tension, muscle pains, aches, and a generalized soreness. Mix clary sage (10 drops), lavender (15 drops), and Roman chamomile (5 drops).
- Restless Anxiety—Here one feels dizzy, sweaty, overactive, with palpitations, the sense of a lump in the throat, frequent urination, diarrhea, or upset stomach. Worwood recommends vetiver (5 drops), juniper (10 drops), and cedarwood (15 drops).
- Apprehensive Anxiety—Symptoms generally include worrying, brooding, unease, a sense of foreboding, even paranoia. For relief of this emotional state, try mixing bergamot (15 drops), lavender (5 drops), and geranium (10 drops).
- Repressed Anxiety—This variant of anxiety involves feeling on edge, concentration difficulties, irritability, insomnia, or a sense of chronic exhaustion. Worwood advises a blend of neroli (10 drops), rose otto (10 drops), and bergamot (10 drops).
Acupuncture for Treatment of Stress:
Acupuncture is primarily concerned with regulating the individual's life force, the body energy or 'Qi'. It has a number of beneficial physiological effects -- Acupuncture has a relaxation response with decreased heart rate, lowered BP, stress reduction and increased energy and tissue regeneration. It has been shown to produce a calming or tranquilizing action that is of particular interest to people in states of stress. Acupuncture can relieve feelings of anxiety and depression, which may be serious handicaps for people trying to cope with difficult domestic, social and work problems. It can give a person a feeling of well-being and self-confidence. It is an effective substitute for sleeping pill, tranquilizers, and antidepressant drugs. Acupuncture can be used in many cases not only as an alternative to these drugs but also to treat side effects and dependence. In fact a number of patients have come for acupuncture treatment specifically to come off their antidepressants. There is considerable evidence that acupuncture could substantially reduce the consumption of drugs such as Prozac.
Acupuncture can provide a safe and effective tool for stress. It will not, of course, change the circumstances of a person's life, but it will usually produce a feeling of well-being. The practitioner can help restore balance and thus protect health by identifying each individual's unique energy profile to see where the weak spots are and where support is needed to restore balance. Acupuncture can open a window of opportunity. As the heavy feelings of stress are relieved, a person feels more confidence in his ability to cope with unpleasant aspects of his life situation and make necessary changes
Bach's Flower Remedies for Treatment of Anxiety and Stress:
"There is no true healing unless there is a change in outlook, peace of mind, and inner happiness." - Dr. Edward Bach, 1934
Edward Bach, medical doctor, bacteriologist, and homeopathic physician, dedicated his life to discovering a system of healing which would go beyond the diagnosis and treatment of physical symptoms to address the emotional and mental roots of disease. He came to realize that when people were treated on the basis of distinctive personality characteristics, rather than according to their disease, true healing could occur. Convinced that he would discover what he sought in nature, he began to explore the fields and forests of England in search of remedies which would be effective, pure, and inexpensive.
One day, the sight of dewdrops glistening on flower petals inspired him with the idea that the heat of the sun, acting through the dew, must draw out the healing essence of each flower Through the development of a method for extracting this essence and self-experimentation with the resulting essences he isolated flowers which addressed a broad range of psychological conditions. These became known as the Bach Flower Remedies.
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